Comments on: Bad Idea: Drug war is an Iraq every year http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/bad-idea-drug-war-is-an-iraq-every-year-1786 Politics, Technology, and other stuff from St. George, UT Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:11:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Ken http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/bad-idea-drug-war-is-an-iraq-every-year-1786/comment-page-1#comment-766 Ken Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:50:27 +0000 http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/?p=1786#comment-766 My libertarian purist deep inside me agrees with total legalization. But…. we live in a very connected society that has made me responsible for people who harm themselves. So I’ve also an interest in preventing that. So I try to balance it. Legalize safer drugs, punish the use of unsafe ones severely. I’m not surprised you see “taxing” as an answer… I, however, don’t think the cocaine store is such a hot idea. Educate don’t incarcerate misses the point that incarceration, or risk there of, is very effective education. Note also that I’m not talking about long prison terms, just sure ones. Anything that disrupts the users life and makes the drug very costly. My libertarian purist deep inside me agrees with total legalization. But…. we live in a very connected society that has made me responsible for people who harm themselves. So I’ve also an interest in preventing that.

So I try to balance it. Legalize safer drugs, punish the use of unsafe ones severely.

I’m not surprised you see “taxing” as an answer… I, however, don’t think the cocaine store is such a hot idea.

Educate don’t incarcerate misses the point that incarceration, or risk there of, is very effective education. Note also that I’m not talking about long prison terms, just sure ones. Anything that disrupts the users life and makes the drug very costly.

]]> By: Carl Nelson http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/bad-idea-drug-war-is-an-iraq-every-year-1786/comment-page-1#comment-764 Carl Nelson Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:44:19 +0000 http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/?p=1786#comment-764 Halfway up the tree. If tobacco and alcohol and MJ are acceptable, why not everything else that people want to take to amuse themselves? Let's have cocaine Life Savers. Demand suppression requires hassling a lot of contributing citizens who vote. Get law enforcement against individuals out of it and just let tax collectors hassle businesses that don't pay what they owe from lawful business. Tax the product sales at a low enough rate to discourage a black market. We already know how to do it for tobacco and alcohol. Educate, don't incarcerate. Halfway up the tree. If tobacco and alcohol and MJ are acceptable, why not everything else that people want to take to amuse themselves? Let’s have cocaine Life Savers.

Demand suppression requires hassling a lot of contributing citizens who vote. Get law enforcement against individuals out of it and just let tax collectors hassle businesses that don’t pay what they owe from lawful business. Tax the product sales at a low enough rate to discourage a black market. We already know how to do it for tobacco and alcohol.

Educate, don’t incarcerate.

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